


Protector

by ColourOfNight



Series: Meat for Master Attendant [1]
Category: Food Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Comfort/Angst, F/M, Light Angst, Steak is Overprotective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 14:32:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17920637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColourOfNight/pseuds/ColourOfNight
Summary: Steak is being overprotective, which although isn't out of the ordinary - maybe he has ulterior motives.





	Protector

**Author's Note:**

> I'm more of a SteakWine person, but a friend of mine is a thot for Steak. So, something short and sweet for that certain friend - SHE KNOWS WHO SHE IS!
> 
> Kept this part gender neutral, but the second part is definitely gendered.

“This body, this heart, and this sword in my hands, shall be forever loyal to you!”

The new food soul you summoned towered over you. The flames around him flickered, almost as red as his hair. He bowed, flashing a small smile.

“Master Attendant, I am yours to command. I am Steak.” You smiled at him.

“It's good to meet you, Steak.” His smile remained as you led him out of your summoning room and into the restaurant building, as you introduced him to the waiting crowd of your other food souls.

 

**

A few days later, there had been a delivery request off in Light Kingdom. When you said you'd go on this delivery trip, Steak followed you as you readied the bike. You placed the order in the travel compartment and put on one of the helmets.

“It's alright, Steak, I-” He had a look on his face that you already knew meant he wasn't going to leave you alone.

“No, I'm going with you. It's safer that way.” You reluctantly murmured an agreement, and gently tossed him a helmet that could probably fit around his horns. You got on the bike, and he sat behind you. You suddenly felt warm, almost too warm. “M-Master Attendant, where do I hold on?” You laughed.

“Onto me, silly.”

“I don't think I could-” You revved up the bike and set off confidently. Steak gave out a small, startled cry, and grabbed your waist to avoid falling off. You couldn't help but chuckle, and once more you felt the heat rising.

“Steak, you did want to tag along!” You deliberately turned a corner sharply, leaning the bike slightly more than you strictly needed to. His grip around your waist tightened as you sped up.

“You little scoundrel!” His arms started to wrap around your further like he was trying to wrap around you. “Slow down...” he hissed into your ear, “Aren't you going too fast?” He continued to fuss over your speed, the other traffic, and pretty much everything you did, which was pretty distracting along with the amount of body contact.

Eventually, you had enough and pulled over at a small rest stop – just a few vending machines and some sheltered seating. Your throat was dry from trying to tell Steak to relax, and the unrelenting heat from him holding onto you tightly. The selection of drinks in the vending machines wasn't ideal, but eventually, you found something you liked.

“Steak,” you chuckled, “If I had known you were going to be such a backseat driver, I would have left you back at the restaurant.” He huffed, putting one arm against the machine you were getting your drink from, and staring down at you with his other arm on his hip.

“It's my sworn duty to protect you, Attendant,” he said quietly, “I can't help it.” You reached up to pat him on the shoulder.

“I know, but... It's my job to keep us safe whilst I'm driving. I can't do that if you're going to keep distracting me.” You gently poked him. He harrumphed.

“I'm gonna learn, just so you don't have to drive...” You smiled sweetly.

“Right? So until then, leave the driving to me! Deal?” He sighed.

“Deal,” he said quietly and almost reluctantly. You gave him some coins for the vending machines, and eventually, you both sat down with your drinks of choice. You smiled.

“You know, when you do a delivery, I'm going to come with you.” Steak almost choked on his drink.

The rest of the driving, and therefore the delivery, went smoothly.

**

The week after Steak learnt to drive the delivery bikes, you decided to go with him on his delivery, as it was Nevras, and you figured that the markets there might have unusual supplies. He furrowed his brows as he saw you.

“Master Attendant...” You gently punched his arm.

“My turn to be backseat driver!” 

“I didn't think you'd actually-”

“Well, I did promise!” He went a little pale but soon recovered. You hopped on cheerfully, wrapping your arms around him. You went from comfortably warm to boiling hot quickly, and you realised it was because Steak had gone bright red. He said nothing as he pulled away with a bit of wheelspin, kicking up some gravel.

Admittedly, you couldn't actually see anything of his driving because of just how small you were compared to him. You just couldn't see around his broad back whilst you were hanging on. Some of the roads to Nevras were bendy with lots of tight turns, which meant that you had to tighten your grip on Steak quite a few times. You could feel his bare abs tighten underneath your hands each time it happened. You could feel the heat rising in your own cheeks as you realised this, and apparently, you weren't the only one getting a bit flustered by this. Steak eventually groaned, pulling into a small layby.

“Time for lunch, Master Attendant!” You could see he was a little pink under his helmet as he took it off. You looked at him a little confused.

“Steak, we're not even halfway there.”

“No, but it's pretty close to your normal lunch time.” He paused. “...did you even pack a lunch?” You paused and watched a small look of concern crawl across his face. You made a small noise of thought, and the concerned look decided to camp on his face until you chuckled and pulled a comically large, multi-layered lunchbox from the bike's carry bag. You both sat on the grass verge, and you gave him a layer of the lunchbox, showing him where the cutlery was. He almost denied it, until he saw that it was his favourite.

“Well, if people don't eat, they get grumpy.” You chuckled. “Food Souls included.” He smiled wryly and began to eat. He looked at your layer of the lunchbox and almost choked.

“Master Attendant, is that really all you packed for-”

“Steak, I can't eat as much as I know you can.” You waved a hand dismissively. “Besides, I needed to pack the drinks,” you said, handing him a can of drink. It was the same type that he picked the last time you took a delivery. “I... also get travel sick easily, so it's not a good idea for me to eat too much...” You chuckled a little, nervously. Steak gave you a weird look.

“Are you feeling alright now, Master Attendant?” You'd put a mouthful of food in, and the fork was still in your mouth.

“I'm fine,” you said, around the fork before you took it out. “I took my medicine for it before we left.” Spearing another piece of food, you smiled. “Do you get Travel Sickness at all?” Steak shook his head.

“No.” He smiled, and paused to hit his chest with a fist. “Healthy as an Ox.” You couldn't help but giggle. You both continued eating, chatting casually. Although Steak wasn't well known for being the most eloquent speaker, he was pleasant enough to chat with – just maybe a bit brusque with answers, and occasionally crude.

After you'd both finished eating, you took the lunchbox layers and packed them away. Steak was quiet.

“C-can you sit in front of me whilst I drive, please?” Steak was a little pink, looking away from you. He made no move to get up, so you sat back down near him.

“Steak, that wouldn't be very safe for driving.” You paused. “What's the matter?” He didn't say anything. You decided to shuffle up closer to him, nearly to the point of touching. “Steak...?” you asked quietly. Suddenly, he pulled you between his legs, wrapping his arms around you from behind, echoing your previous delivery ride. The atmosphere was different, though.

“...this feels more natural to me than the other way round.” he murmured. He shifted his arms, one hand going around your waist, and the other grabbing your shoulder. You were suddenly aware that you could feel his abs pressing firmly against your back, and could hear his heart pounding. Or maybe it was _your_ heart because it felt like it was going to leap out of your mouth.

“Did you- did you want me t-to drive, then?” He hummed as if in thought. He shifted slightly, and you could feel one of his horns gently brush against your scalp, his breath on your neck.

“Mhm,” he breathed, “...but then I might distract you again by accident...”

You were going to say something when you heard a loud slithering sound, followed by a creepy laugh. Both of your heads snapped up to see an Uke Mochi eyeing up you and the delivery bike. As you both stood up, Steak kept one hand around your waist, summoning one of his swords with the other. You looked at him questioningly.

“If you put me down, you can fight better, and I can use my Talents.” He put you down begrudgingly as the Uke Mochi rushed at him.

You used your saucepan talent, briefly stunning the Uke Mochi as Steak summoned his other sword and leaped into an attack. As Steak kept slicing at it, you kept stunning it - occasionally healing Steak if he got hit by a wayward tentacle. The parrying and attacking went on for a few minutes before he was almost knocked into you. You healed him as he sent a barrage of flames forwards. With terror, you realised that some flames were heading towards the delivery bike, and there were tentacles heading your way – and before you could warn Steak...

Your world went black.

**

“...dant?” You could feel warmth. “Master Attendant? Can you hear me?!” Steak sounded panicked, but distant. No, that wasn't right. Your face felt wet. Something warm trickled down your cheek. Pain started to blossom all over. “Shit, shit, shit...” Steak sounded a lot closer. Your body felt like it was on fire. Had he really been that far away, to begin with? You realised that the warmth was coming from one side. “Please don't- Master Attendant, please...” All was quiet for a while, and all you could hear was laboured breathing and a scraping sound. “Hold on. Please, just...” The breathing you could hear hitched as you tried to open your eyes and speak. You couldn't. Just... couldn't. It hurt, and not just your body. Something touched your lips, gently. It was warm. Why did everything else feel cold? Then there were other noises in the distance, like footsteps and panic. Everything faded out again.

**

You slowly opened your eyes to see a plain white surface above you. You blinked, and you realised that it was a ceiling. It took you a second or two to recognise it as the ceiling in your room, and there was the smell of disinfectant mingling with the usual scent of your diffuser. Your head was ringing with a headache, and it took a few seconds to register that the rest of your body hurt, but one of your hands was warmer than the other. You slowly moved your head to see a mess of red hair near where your warm hand was. Steak's head was resting on your hand. His breathing was soft. You were aware of movement behind him. Milk came into view. She looked at him, then at you, and softly sighed. Her face was unusually full of emotion.

“Master Attendant,” she whispered, as not to wake Steak up. “We were so worried.” Her eyes began to water with tears as she told you what happened whilst you were unconscious.

Steak's flames accidentally hit the delivery bike, and he grabbed you as it exploded. The Uke Mochi was killed by shrapnel, and Steak (with you in his arms) got flung a fair distance. The explosion attracted the locals, who arrived on the scene to find an injured Steak with you in his arms. Although he took most of the damage, you were still badly injured. He insisted on getting you back to the restaurant before letting the human doctors tend to you.

“That was three days ago.” Milk concluded. Your eyes flicked to the sleeping Steak. He was in his usual armor, but it seemed ragged and stained. “He hasn't really moved since. I healed him easily, but...” She didn't need to finish that sentence for you. Milk's magic just doesn't work as well on humans. The welling tears started to fall. “We all thought... the worst... might happen.” Black Tea then came into your sight, carrying bandages and other supplies. She smiled as she saw you were awake and set them down to grasp your other hand tightly.

“Attendant, you're awake...” You attempted a smile.

“I'm... sorry... for... worry... ing you...” You croaked out. Milk shook her head, more tears falling.

“Rest, Master Attendant, please.” Milk attempted to use her magic on you again. The pain died down, and you felt sleepy.

**

There was something on your face - you could feel it - and it was warm. You slowly opened your eyes. It was a hand, and the wrist it was attached to was on the end of an arm that belonged to someone with red hair and dark horns. They were murmuring something to themselves. You blinked twice, your eyelashes moving up and down against skin. The hand suddenly jerked away, as if shocked. You turned your head to face him more. It was dark in the room, lit by moonlight streaming in. Steak was sitting on the edge of the bed, apparently as if he'd just returned. He wasn't in his usual armor but instead, something more casual.

“Steak...?” You couldn't quite make out the expression on his face, but as you tried to sit up, you heard a short gasp, and felt hands supporting you. It hurt less.

“Master... I'm sorry if... I woke you.” he gasped. His voice was shaky as he continued, “Master Attendant, I...” He turned away briefly before taking you into a bone-crushing hug. You flinched. Steak cursed, and readjusted the hug, one hand drawing your waist to his, and the other bringing your head into the crook of his neck. His breath made your ear tingle. You put your arms around him where you could reach. 

“I'm... sorry for worrying you, Steak.”

“I... I failed you.” His breathing was shaky. “Master, you- I...” You could feel his hands forming into fists.

“Steak, I'm still alive, you know.”

“You nearly weren't!” He grabbed your shoulders and deliberately moved to look you in the eyes. “You... nearly...” His eyes were full of sadness. “...weren't.” He looked away but didn't move otherwise. “Master Attendant, if I had been a little quicker... If I had been more-” You took his face in both hands and turned it your way again.

“And if you hadn't have been there at all, I wouldn't be alive now, Steak.” You smiled, even though the dressings on your face made it difficult to grin as you wanted. “I'd have found out what it's like to be eaten first hand!” He grimaced.

“That's not funny.”

“You're right – it's absolutely hilarious.” You smirked. “And we both know I'd have gone down kicking and scream-” He pulled your head towards his and kissed your lips. He pulled away after a few seconds, and you were both pretty red. “What was that for?” You murmured.

“Had to shut you up somehow,” he grumbled. There was something in his expression that made you want to kiss him again. You could feel yourself going as red as his hair as you decided you enjoyed the kiss. “...you were getting pretty animated, and you're meant to be resting.”

“So if I wanted to get you to shut me up again, what should I-”

“Please don't.” He pulled you close again, wrapping his arms around you tightly. You felt lips press against the top of your head before you felt him shift, pulling you both down to lay on the bed with a small chuckle. “Apparently I need to quiet your mind, first.” He sighed happily. “I'd better stay here and make sure that happens. Just so that you can rest properly.”

~*~ Epilogue ~*~

Milk opened the bedroom door and saw Master Attendant fast asleep in Steak's arms, with Steak's face in Master Attendant's hair. He was wrapped around the smaller figure defensively. At the creaking of a floorboard, Master Attendant had shifted slightly, and Steak had tightened his grip.

They both looked so peaceful that she silently closed the door, hung the 'Do Not Disturb' sign up, adding another line to the bottom – 'on pain of death - **Milk** ' – and walked away, smiling gently to herself.

**Author's Note:**

> Headcanon that Milk is definitely a scary Mother figure, and is not to be messed with. 
> 
> Also, that Steak drinks tomato juice, for reasons that I can't explain, but still didn't put in.
> 
> I actually like the idea that Steak is just a backseat driver because he's a worrywart. And that he's gentlemanly, just a bit less refined.
> 
> ...and if you're not into smut, I recommend avoiding the next part. The second part is shamelessly smut.


End file.
